1. Field of the Invention
The disclosed subject matter is in the field of herb grinders and related methods of use.
2. Background of the Invention
An herb grinder is a mechanical device for pulverizing dried herbs, spices, tobacco, and other dried plants into particulates. Grinding the herb into particulates allows for the herb to be used in cooking or for the herb to be more readily smoked. Herb grinders can be either manual or electronic. Electronic grinders are typically driven by a motor, which can generate heat and potentially damage the herb. Electronic grinders are also expensive. For grinding a small quantity of herbs, a manual grinder can achieve a similar result to an electric grinder with minimal effort at a lower cost.
Most manual grinders have two pieces with cooperating cylindrical-shaped pegs or pyramidal shaped pegs that pulverize the herb when the pieces are moved relative to one another, See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 8,393,563. The use of pyramidal-shaped pegs to grind herbs is problematic because the tips can break off and get mixed within the herbal mixture. This can be potentially dangerous if the grinder is made of a plastic polymer because smoking plastics could create serious health consequences for the smoker. Grinders that employ the use of cylindrical pegs are also problematic because the cylindrical pegs do not completely grind the herb. With a cylindrical peg based grinder, either a user will have to exert additional effort to grind the herb or the user will have to be content with an incompletely ground product.
Other problems arise in connection with manual grinders that employ cylindrical or pyramidal pegs. Often, the grinding mechanisms are not sharp or the grinding mechanisms are not properly aligned for pulverizing the herb. In either case, the initial turning of the grinder is difficult. Thus, a need exists for grinders with sharp and aligned blades.